Delightful companions, absolutely, but it’s hard having Planetarian cats as they’re hyper-carnivores and finicky eaters.
While it may seem natural to let Kitty go outdoors for potty-time and entertainment, consider this:
- Outdoor cats kill an unfathomable number of song-birds and other wildlife – billions/year in the US alone.
- Their feces attract and cross-contaminate other species.
- Indoor-only cats have significantly longer life spans, avoid many diseases/parasites, predation, traffic injuries.
Ahh, but the litter box. Avoid clay/clumping litter, albeit cheap and ubiquitous, it:
- Requires strip-mining to source it; 2+ million pounds/year in the US. Single use!
- Doesn’t biodegrade.
- Often contains silica, dangerous to inhale.
- Can block the GI tract if Kitty licks its paws.
Transition to a less-egregious cat litter. Never with fragrance.
- Cedarific (cedar fibers). Paper packaging, too!
- Feline Pine (wood pellets).
- Fresh News (recycled newspaper).
- Some cats are allergic to corn- and/or wheat-based litter.
Remember:
- Only adopt pets through humane societies, never breeders.
- Spay-neuter all pets.
- Pregnancy + kitty litter = potentially dangerous toxoplasma.
- Dispose/compost appropriately, never flush.
Planetarily,
Laura & Gil
Our friends Laura & Gil Richardson are, in their own words, “imperfect” but they are much further down this Planetarian path than anyone I know. They are a treasure trove of sustainable living inspiration and we’ve asked them to share one simple swap per week that they’ve made (and the products they love) in hopes it might inspire you to make them, too.
